Pro-nuclear group urges shift away from fossil fuels

Published: Thursday, January 23, 1992 at 3:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, January 23, 1992 at 12:00 a.m.

††††Only by shifting its dependence from fossil fuels to nuclear power can the United States ensure control of its energy supply, a nuclear engineer representing a national, pro-nuclear organization said Wednesday. Tony Zusinas, in Spartanburg on a tour of South Carolina and North Carolina on behalf of Virginia-based Energy America, said 25 percent of the world's coal and uranium reserves are located in the United States and are safe from the disruptions experienced with oil supplied by the Middle East. "I firmly believe in energy independence," said Zusinas, a senior engineer with Duquesne Light Co. and director of maintenance training at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania. Zusinas conceded that the majority of the U.S. supply of uranium, a key product in making nuclear power plants, is foreign-owned. But he said the federal government probably would intervene if external control of internal resources threatened to harm the United States. "Part of my aggravation came from standing in gas lines" in 1973, when Arab oil-producing nations halted imports to the United States, he said. When the United States became embroiled in Operation Desert Storm in 1990, "I thought, `Here we go again.' " The oil kept flowing, Zusinas said, but the war illustrated how precarious the nation's energy supply is so long as it continues to depend on outside resources. And he said the situation is likely to become more precarious as the need for energy increases, at a national average of about 2 percent a year. He said South Carolina and North Carolina especially will see an increased need for energy in the next decade with the growth in business and industry. About 60 percent of South Carolina's energy is produced by nuclear power, ranking it third in the nation for its dependence on nuclear energy after Connecticut and Vermont. Nationally, about 55 percent of the energy is produced by coal, 20 percent comes from nuclear power plants, 10 percent comes from hydroelectric plants, about 9 percent comes from natural gas and about 4 percent or 5 percent comes from oil. Only 1 percent of the nation's energy comes from such "renewable" energy sources as solar power, geothermal power and wind. While coal is abundant in the United States, he said it and other fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide and contribute to the greenhouse effect, whereby gases create a ceiling above the Earth's atmosphere that traps heat and allows the planet to become warmer than normal. "What we need is a workhorse," he said, referring to nuclear energy. He said fears about nuclear energy are unfounded and that the industry has been hurt by unrelated nuclear issues, such as weapons production. In the 30 years since nuclear power was introduced, he said, there have been only a handful of accidents whose effects extended beyond the plant. "Today's nuclear power plants are extremely safe," he said.

Energy sources ‚About 60% of S.C.'s energy is produced by nuclear power. ‚S.C. ranks third in the U.S. for its dependence on nuclear energy. ‚Connecticut ranks first, and Vermont ranks second. NUKES

<p> Only by shifting its dependence from fossil fuels to nuclear power can the United States ensure control of its energy supply, a nuclear engineer representing a national, pro-nuclear organization said Wednesday. Tony Zusinas, in Spartanburg on a tour of South Carolina and North Carolina on behalf of Virginia-based Energy America, said 25 percent of the world's coal and uranium reserves are located in the United States and are safe from the disruptions experienced with oil supplied by the Middle East. "I firmly believe in energy independence," said Zusinas, a senior engineer with Duquesne Light Co. and director of maintenance training at the Beaver Valley Nuclear Plant in Pennsylvania. Zusinas conceded that the majority of the U.S. supply of uranium, a key product in making nuclear power plants, is foreign-owned. But he said the federal government probably would intervene if external control of internal resources threatened to harm the United States. "Part of my aggravation came from standing in gas lines" in 1973, when Arab oil-producing nations halted imports to the United States, he said. When the United States became embroiled in Operation Desert Storm in 1990, "I thought, `Here we go again.' " The oil kept flowing, Zusinas said, but the war illustrated how precarious the nation's energy supply is so long as it continues to depend on outside resources. And he said the situation is likely to become more precarious as the need for energy increases, at a national average of about 2 percent a year. He said South Carolina and North Carolina especially will see an increased need for energy in the next decade with the growth in business and industry. About 60 percent of South Carolina's energy is produced by nuclear power, ranking it third in the nation for its dependence on nuclear energy after Connecticut and Vermont. Nationally, about 55 percent of the energy is produced by coal, 20 percent comes from nuclear power plants, 10 percent comes from hydroelectric plants, about 9 percent comes from natural gas and about 4 percent or 5 percent comes from oil. Only 1 percent of the nation's energy comes from such "renewable" energy sources as solar power, geothermal power and wind. While coal is abundant in the United States, he said it and other fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide and contribute to the greenhouse effect, whereby gases create a ceiling above the Earth's atmosphere that traps heat and allows the planet to become warmer than normal. "What we need is a workhorse," he said, referring to nuclear energy. He said fears about nuclear energy are unfounded and that the industry has been hurt by unrelated nuclear issues, such as weapons production. In the 30 years since nuclear power was introduced, he said, there have been only a handful of accidents whose effects extended beyond the plant. "Today's nuclear power plants are extremely safe," he said.</p><p>Energy sources ‚About 60% of S.C.'s energy is produced by nuclear power. ‚S.C. ranks third in the U.S. for its dependence on nuclear energy. ‚Connecticut ranks first, and Vermont ranks second. NUKES</p>